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New Pan Flu Research Suggests Ways to Drastically Reduce Impact

Wed, 03/12/2008 - 2:56pm — sherwin

According to a new study, timely implementation of an approach combining use of antivirals and social distancing could substantially lower the infection rate during an influenza pandemic. This approach, dubbed targeted layered containment (TLC), was studied by three research groups in a simulated population similar to that of Chicago, about 8.6 million people.

Timely initiation of school closings, quarantines of infected households and public gathering bans would be essential to success. These measures would need to be in place for months, probably until a vaccine is developed and distributed.

According to a related Reuters article, such an approach could reduce infections by as much as 80 percent.